


Time Will Tell

by fangirl_squee, madelinestarr



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Dancing, Multi, Weddings, puzzle boxes, scaring small children with your lack of gender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:38:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8772208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee, https://archiveofourown.org/users/madelinestarr/pseuds/madelinestarr
Summary: A secret moon base is a perfect place to fall in love. That's an old adage, right? Right?





	1. Love Sorta Is A Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to Sophie for beta'ing and leaving funny Google Doc comments. And to time zones, for allowing me to wake up to paragraphs from my partner in crime about fantasy lesbians.

Killian was, to put it mildly, very worried when Magnus grabbed Carey one afternoon. Not for any reason, no, she’s just been wanting to keep Carey in her line of sight most hours of the day since they got back from their last mission. She still hears the crinkle tinkles of Lucas’ lab, still remembers the cry that came from her mouth when Boyland was encased and lost forever. She can’t lose Carey, but Carey is understanding about it and makes sure she’s never more than arm’s length away. 

 

“Close enough to hold hands at a moment’s notice,” said Carey, grinning.

 

Except Carey starts spending some time with Magnus. Not a lot, but, a noticeable amount. In the training room, sure, but sometimes in Magnus’ room. And that’s... fine. Killian knows that Carey can handle herself, and that Magnus could handle everything else that comes their way. But she can still worry, you know? Killian isn’t a big fan of Unknowns, even in casual situations.

 

She came into the practice room, once, and they were both sitting cross-legged, laughing. Carey stopped abruptly and jumped up, and Magnus laughed once more, quietly, before walking over to the two of them.

 

“What were you guys talking about?” Killian asked, hoping to Pan that she sounded fun and casual.

 

“Carey was telling me about how you came up with the name Team Sweet Flips. It’s a good story,” said Magnus, grinning. “I gotta go, uh, grab Taako for Puzzle Night. Bye.” 

 

That boy, Killian thought, is not a very good liar.

 

Killian and Carey spent the rest of that night sitting quietly in their room. Killian tried to focus on the old scrolls she was studying - there was so much of history that she’d forgotten before she’d been inoculated against the voidfish - but as always she found herself getting distracted by Carey, the way the candlelight illuminated her scales, the way the corners of her mouth would twitch into a quick smile as she finished a row of knitting. It always took Killian twice as long to finish her reading when she was with Carey, but it was by far her favourite way to do it.

 

A week later, a small wooden duck appeared in Killian’s sock drawer. Killian took it out, holding it gently in her big orc hands. It was beautiful, the butt more so than the head, to be sure. On it was a panel of sixteen buttons, a four by four grid. She supposed that was how you’d get it open.

\-----

 

And Kilian tried, oh boy did she try. She ate a fantasy luna bar that she had in her room, just so that could devote her entire intelligence and perception to this puzzle. And... nothing. 

 

Sneaking isn’t Killian’s strongest suit, but you don’t work alongside someone like Carey for a few years without getting to know some good stealth movements. Which could have been why Angus jumped so high when she approached him from the shadows as he walked back from the library.

 

“I need your help,” said Killian.

 

“Uh, hello, sir! I mean, ma’am,” said Angus, hands fluttering in surprise “I mean-”

 

Killian smiled a low, slow smile. This ... didn’t seem to help Angus feel reassured all that much, but Killian hadn’t really spoken to a child in quite some time. She’s unsure how they feel about anything.

 

“Sir’s fine, uh, I guess. Don’t worry about it. Listen. The Boys told me you’re real smart, and good at puzzles, and I have one that’s really important to crack and I could use your help.”

 

“The boys!! Which one?”

 

Killian, takes a stab in the dark, trying to think of which one she’s seen Angus with the most. “Taako?”

 

Angus stood up straighter immediately, so she must have picked right. 

 

“Whatever you need me for, sir. Is there a murder? A lockbox that won’t open? If you need my help I won’t stop until the case is solved, or my name isn’t Angus McDonald!”

 

He seemed to deflate a little as Killian held out the wooden duck.

 

“I need to get this open,” said Killian, feeling a little awkward as she handed over the duck.

 

It seemed a lot bigger in his tiny human hands as he turned it over, examining the buttons.

 

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get this?”

 

“It was a gift from, uh, Carey,” said Killian.

 

Angus stared up at her, apparently waiting for her to elaborate. Killian searched for something else to say about it.

 

“She knows I like ducks,” offered Killian.

 

Angus nodded, then looked at the buttons more closely, even going so far as to pull out his magnifying glass to examine the intricate carving and pressing one of the buttons down experimentally.

 

“Well sir,” he said, “my detective’s sense is telling me that this duck is only half the present. I think the real present is inside the duck!”

 

“Yeah, I figured,” said Killian, “I was kind of hoping you’d use your detective sense to figure out the combination.”

 

“Ooh,” said Angus, “sorry sir, but I think part of the gift is you doing it yourself? What I mean is, it’s probably personal? And I could figure it out, I mean, I have a pretty good idea of what it is and I’m probably right, but I think it would spoil the surprise of the- the thing that’s in there.”

 

He held the duck back out to her.

 

Killian used her extensive BoB training to repressed an annoyed sigh. “Thanks anyway Angus.”

 

“Sorry I couldn’t be of more help sir!” he chirped “but I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”

 

He sounds a lot more hopeful than she feels right about not, pressing the buttons in random order and hoping she hits upon the combination of buttons by accident. She does that for a while, and then she tries codes she knows - locker combinations and stone of farspeech chanel numbers and coordinates. 

 

The sun sets and then moon rises while she tries, sitting in the windowseat of her dorm room. Maybe the stars will offer some guidance on this.

 

She's frustrated, but the thought makes her smile - not because she thinks the stars will actually help solved the puzzle, but because her first date with Carey had been stargazing. Not far from where she sat now actually. It had been warm out, so the two of them had gone to the BoB quad, lying in the grass and staring up at the stars with Carey, trying to work up the courage to move her hand closer to Carey’s.

 

Killian’s fingers thumbed over the buttons for a moment, and then she slowly pressed each button down - the day and time of their first date.

 

There was a tiny clockwork noise, and the box popped open.

 

And inside the box is a ring.

 

Killian stares at it. Rubs her free hand over her face. Stares again.

 

The ring remains a ring, small and delicate, with a rose carved into the band.

 

“Oh Carey,” says Killian.

 

It’s getting really late, and Killian is sure Carey will be back from movie night with THB any moment. She’s too tired to pace, so she leans back against the window and closes her eyes for just a moment - and when she opens them again, it’s morning.

 

At first she thinks last night might have been a dream, but the proof of its reality is right there on her hand.

 

Carey still hasn’t been home - the bed’s unmade but they never make their bed, and if Carey had come back she would have woken Killian up. It’s early, pinkish dawn light just peeking over the surface of the moonbase. Maybe Carey had a sleepover at the boy’s place.

 

She heads over to their dorm, trying not to rush, trying not to feel too nervous. She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. Predictably for the boys, no one answers. She knocks again, louder.

 

A very sleepy-looking Taako answers the door, hair up in curlers and wearing a clumsily tied bathrobe with the word ‘MAGNUS’ embroidered over the front pocket.

 

“What’s up my dude?”

 

“Can I see Carey?”

 

“I don’t know, can you?”

 

Killian grunts in annoyance. “You know what I mean. Is she awake?”

 

Taako shrugs, and leans on the doorframe. “I dunno. I guess so, because her and Magnus left at some Pan-forsaken time this morning.” Taako pauses, then looks pointedly down at her hand, and adds. “She was really nervous about something all night, so I guess she wanted to go work out or something.”

 

“Oh,” says Killian.

 

“Sooo,” says Taako, “Did you say yes?”

 

“Yes,” Killian grins so wide it feels like her face might split in two, “A thousand times, yes.”

 

“Congrats dude,” says Taako, smiling, “but I’m not a messenger wizard, so you’re gonna have to tell her yourself. She’s in the training dojo with Magnus, and I’m going back to sleep. Later!”

 

Taako leaves the door open, burning a spell slot to push it closed, but Killian can’t even bring herself to be annoyed because - Carey. The training room. She needs to get there right now. She needs to get there twenty minutes ago, even. She needs to go back in time somehow and tell Carey as soon as Carey put the ring in the box, because she deserved to have an answer from Killian as soon as she’d even thought of the question.

 

This time, she gives up pretense of casualness and runs. Across the moonbase, towards the training room, towards Carey, towards her future. She can hear noises as she gets closer - Carey and Magnus, and Noelle, there as cheery moral support and colour commentary by the sound of it.

 

“Carey!”

 

“Killian?” 

 

Carey lets Magnus go from the sleeper hold she has him in. He moves back to stand near Noelle, giving them space to come together.

 

Killian bites her lip. “I found the puzzle box.”

 

Carey’s tail twitches nervously. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“I -” Killian starts to say.

 

“Do you -” Carey says at the same time.

 

“Yes, absolutely, yes,” says Killian.

 

And then Carey is moving towards her, fast, and leaping into her arms. Killian spins them around and around.

 

“Yes, yes, yes,” says Killian, and Carey’s smiling gets wider with each iteration.

 

From their position on the sideline, Magnus and Noelle smile.

 

“That was a real sweet thing you did Magnus,” says Noelle.

 

Magnus shrugs. “I was just helping out a friend. I’m sure anyone would have done the same.”

 

Noelle’s lights glow softly. “Still, a real sweet thing.”

 

She hovers a little higher, and presses her screen to his cheek, like a kiss.


	2. And I'm Not Very Good at Puzzles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this was written before the end of Crystal Kingdom, and a lot of it has been Joss'd since then. But still. But still.

Magnus wouldn’t call himself a lover, persay. And not just because he heard a prophecy a few months ago that called for “a lover.” Sometimes Magnus rushes out.

 

If anything, he’s a hopeless romantic. It’s how he and Julia met, all those years ago. A local dance in a barn, she was standing all alone near the mead, a singular yellow flower in her hair with a sad smile on her face. Magnus rushed in: first to her side for a dance, then to his proposal of marriage, and then to facing a travelling warlock who was kidnapping some kids. And just like the first two thirds of their time together, Julia was right next to him.

 

Right up until he didn’t catch that last blow. 

 

So, still a hopeless romantic Magnus. But not a lover.

 

“Also a little bit of a matchmaker,” Merle laughs next to him.

 

Carey and Killian were dancing in the middle of the Bureau’s party dome, doing some sweet spins and flips to something Johan was playing. They wore matching silver bands, another gift from Magnus after he had crafted Killian’s rosewood ring. (“People who buy things are idiots,” Magnus had said, tears fully running down his face as he agreed to make their rings after seeing that Killian had said Yes.) 

 

“Merle, those crazy kids were gonna get here eventually. I just... helped them along.”

 

“Uh huh,” Merle snorted. “And what about those two?” 

 

He pointed to just off the dance floor, where Taako and Klarg were sitting. Taako was standing on his tiptoes to fix Klarg’s bow tie for the third time that night, and taking a very long time to do it.

 

Magnus laughed. “That might take a near death experience, or somebody insulting Taako’s cooking, for that to click.”

 

Noelle floated up to them, wearing just a big pastel hat where her robot head must’ve been - and Magnus thought she looked very nice. And was going to definitely say so when she asked, “Merle, can I steal Magnus away for a moment?”

 

Merle winked at Magnus - which was weird - and said, “Sure, sure. I’m gonna go get myself some more wine. You two kids have fun!” And left with another wink. Seriously what was up with the winks.

 

“That was, uh, a real nice speech ya gave, Magnus, for those two. You did a lot to get them together,” Noelle started, quietly.

 

“I mean. I just like, listened to Carey and made a few rings. I’m sure you as their new team member and co-best robot did more than enough, too. Like, the colors? It must’ve been tricky to have picked two colors that didn’t clash with either of their skin tones.” Magnus perfused, because, well, he was blushing again.

 

Noelle didn’t blush back, but she whirred just a little louder for a second. It was kinda cute. It made Magus smile, and also maybe his stomach feel like he was doing sweet-flip-dancing instead of just slowly-turning-in-a-circle-dancing.

 

“I just wanna feel like I belong, y’know? I just really want them to like me.”

 

Magnus placed his hand where he thought her shoulder was. (Robot anatomy is weird, and, does she even feel it? Can she feel any physical contact?) (Did her stomach feel weird too?)

 

“You’re doing great. I don’t think anybody fits in here, because we don’t really fit in anywhere. Like a bunch of, I dunno, lost puzzle pieces that get put in a box together. That’s why the wedding is nice - finding a mismatched piece that kinda matches your own? Gives you some kinda hope in this world.” 

 

“Well that... that’s a real sweet thought, Magnus.” And the whirring got louder. And they made eye contact (Wait - did they? She doesn’t really have eyes, either.) for a long moment, and then Johan picked something loud, and fast, and good. 

 

“Oh, oh my! Magnus do you wanna dance?” 

 

And Magnus was terrified. He hadn’t been much of a dancer, it was always Julia who led them in dancing. But Noelle sounded so excited, and they were among good friends, and so he let himself be dragged back onto the dance floor.

 

It was really being dragged. She may not have eyes, or a shoulder, but her arms are Tough. She can pull him pretty easily. Magus liked that, matching someone strength-for-strength.

 

“What if we did that, like, spin thing? From Titanic? That’s a kind of dancing that we can both do.” Magnus suggested, after a few moments of tapping his one foot on the dance floor while Noelle hovered up and down next to him. 

 

She whirred, and he took both of her robot hands in his own, and they spun. And spun. And spun. Very fast. And Noelle laughed, loud and high with excitement. And Magnus laughed too, glad to be able to hear Noelle laugh, and surprised that he, too, was having some good time with her here, and didn’t she look nice, and- 

 

CRACK.

 

Noelle’s momentum spun her away from him, leaving him standing, still holding her broken-off hand. A few party-goers looked at them curiously, more for blocking their dancing path than anything else. Magnus looked down at the crumpled metal that used to be her robot hand, and then back up at Noelle. This time the weird feeling in his stomach was far less pleasant.

 

“Magnus?” said Noelle.

 

“Noelle, I- I-”

 

Taako looked up from across the room, where he had been telling Klarg about a joke he once told on his show. Magnus looked pale and unsteady, shakily holding a piece of metal. Taako sighed, making a quick excuse to Klarg and floating over. 

 

“Magnus, is everything okay?” he asked, quickly. 

 

Magnus dropped the metal, startled, and Taako caught it with a quick Feather Fall. 

 

“Well, this is probably easy to fix up, we’ll just go over to the - oh, he’s already rushed out.” Taako huffed. “Klarg! Klarg, my dude!” he called, raising his voice to be heard over the violin.

 

Klarg bounded over. “Yes, Taako? Is there anything that I can do for you?”

 

“No, Klarg. Could you--”

 

He paused, biting his lip as he thought of a better way to phrase his request. Taako had found out that Klarg was inhibited, and was once forced to follow orders. And that’s not... that’s not how any kind of good relationship gets started. Tricking people into liking you never ended well, and Klarg was … Klarg was nice, and didn’t deserve to be tricked. 

 

“If it... pleases you, Noelle might need some, well, medical attention.” Taako handed Klarg the remains of Noelle’s hand, glancing back to Noelle, and her light flashed. “If you would like to take her to the medical dome, I believe it would make her feel better.” 

 

Klarg nodded, once, the glaze of the spell leaving his eyes as he realised that this was a suggestion, and that there was no underlying current of malice or trickery. 

 

“And I trust you to keep her safe.” Taako quickly added, ignoring the hot feeling creeping its way across his cheeks.

 

“That is amendable to me.” Klarg said, a small smile at Taako’s red cheeks.

 

Taako walked them out, and then headed back through the party dome to the opposite door to find Magnus. Magnus sitting in the grass quad under a tree, head in his hands.

 

“Hey, pal, you okay?” said Taako, “Did you put your moonscreen on before you came out here?” Magnus was silent. “Bud?”

 

“How do you do it?” Magnus asked, quietly, still hidden behind his hands.

 

“Be this good looking and funny all the time? That’s easy, I-”

 

“Bluejeans.” Magnus said, finally meeting Taako’s eye.

 

Taako sighed, quietly. Magus using their code word for ‘I want to have a Serious Conversation About This’ meant that the situation was, well, Serious.

 

He sat next to Magnus on the grass, staring up at the other moon. Being serious was a lot easier if he didn’t have to look anyone in the eye while he did it. “How do I do what?”

 

“You cooked for the wedding. You had Klarg help you. How do you know you’re not gonna hurt them? You’re not gonna hurt him?”

 

Taako blinked. “I did cook for the wedding, because I owed Killian and Carey. And remember that salt shaker I bought a few weeks back? Everything’s a little salty, but extra delicious tonight, right?”

 

“Taako-.”

 

“I tasted everything myself, first. Everything. Even before Klarg could, and even before I put the salt on it. I even put my staff in the other room, checking myself. And as for having Klarg there at all,” he turned to look Magnus in the eye. “I like having him there. He’s a little too big for the small kitchen, but he makes some good tea, and keeps me centered. He checked my work. I trusted him to check my work. And he trusted me to not poison him.”

 

Magus was quiet for a moment. It was much quieter out of the party dome, the muted sounds of music only just audible above the rustling of the trees.

 

“Back at the dance, for a minute, I-”

 

“You got excited, Mag. Noelle understands, we all do. You’re a big, ruff boi. You just... you gotta learn how to control it. You rogued up, that’s a start. Maybe now you gotta find your center. Maybe now you finally have a reason to control it.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah. Maybe you’re right. Thank you.” Magnus paused. “Do you think like, meditation might help?”

 

“Probably, but you know I’m not sitting quietly in a room with you and a third person for hours at a time. That’s your own bonus episode.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find us on the internet: madelinestarr // mariusperkins


End file.
